For security purposes, a user of a computer system, such as a notebook computer, is typically required to provide user authentication information to the computer system during a login process and to allow the user access to the computer system only in the event of the authentication information provided by the user matching corresponding authentication information stored in the computer system.
Typically, when a computer enters a network, network access control protocols are utilized to authenticate a user and/or a platform by an authentication entity to determine whether such a user and/or platform are entitled to enter the network. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802 Local Area Network standards provide guidelines for allowing users to physically connect to a network and access basic services provided therein. It has become more evident in recent years that controlled access is a necessity with the large amount of sensitive information that is communicated over networks of virtually any size. Access can be restricted by any number of methods, including user logins and passwords, network identification of a unique identification number embedded within the network interface card, call-back schemes for dial-up access, and others.
A trusted platform module (TPM) for use in computing devices such as personal computers is known. The TPM techniques can be implemented in a variety of platforms including mobile platforms such as notebooks or handheld computing devices. A TPM utilized in a mobile platform is referred to as a mobile TPM. The purpose of a TPM is to provide computer identity and secure services related to transactions, licensing of application and media, protecting user data, and special functions. However, the TPM techniques have not been utilized for authenticating a user and/or platform for network access control purposes.